Power Outage Affects Nearly All of Puerto Rico

Almost 90% of Puerto Rico's 1.5 million residents experienced a blackout on New Year's Eve, with power outages affecting major areas of the island. The electricity utility LUMA Energy reported that the outage, which took place at around 5:30 a.m., was likely caused by a failure in a 230,000-volt underground transmission line, resulting in multiple power plants going offline. Restoration efforts have begun, with estimates suggesting it could take 24 to 48 hours to fully restore power. Local officials, including Governor Pedro Pierluisi, have expressed the need for answers regarding the incident and the persistent issues with the island's aging power infrastructure. This blackout comes as Puerto Rico grapples with ongoing energy crises and criticism of LUMA Energy's management since it took over the power grid in 2021. The island continues to face challenges stemming from Hurricane Maria's devastation and years of neglect in infrastructure maintenance.